00:01The U.S. deployed its once-neglected Growler jets to roar and scramble Venezuela's defense system,
00:07leaving Caracas blind and unable to protect its now-captured leader, Nicolas Maduro, according to a new report.
00:14The Boeing EA-18G Growler jets were among the more than 150 U.S. warplanes deployed to assist in the raid on Maduro's military compound on January 3rd.
00:25With the aircraft playing a key role in crippling Venezuela's response time, the Wall Street Journal reported,
00:32the aircraft isn't just effective, it's a nightmare for the enemy.
00:35Here's what you need to know about the signal-jamming jet.
00:39The Growlers, a series of 2008 jets that have seen a resurgence of popularity in the Ukraine war,
00:46look eerily similar to Boeing's famous F-A-18 Super Hornet.
00:50This is because the two jets share the same body, and a majority of the same components,
00:56although they serve distinctly different purposes.
00:59The Growler isn't a fighter jet like its Super Hornet counterpart.
01:02It specializes instead in electronic warfare, locating enemy radars and jamming them.
01:07The difference can notably be spotted in what's underneath the wings.
01:11The Growler carries large pods under its wings and belly to detect enemy signals,
01:16and also carries anti-radiation missiles that can detect and destroy foreign radars.
01:22The sophisticated jet, which can reach a max of 1,381 mph with a crew of two,
01:29effectively unleashes a flood of signals to enemy equipment that drowns out the connection between the tech and their operators.
01:36Along with taking down communication systems, the Growler is also capable of simulating multiple aircraft on enemy radars,
01:45serving as important decoys to hide where the real threat is located.
01:49All this means the Growlers would have had a cakewalk blinding Venezuela's Soviet-era communication system,
01:55said Thomas Withington, an electronic warfare expert at the Royal United States Institute think tank.
02:01The Growler forms the mainstay of U.S. Airpower's electronic warfare component and would have located Venezuelan radars,
02:08jammed them, and performed a similar task with military communications, he told the Wall Street Journal.
02:14The aging systems would stand no chance against the Growler,
02:17which has proven itself to be popular in Ukraine,
02:20where electronic warfare has been the key to counter Russia's mass drone bombardments.
02:25With their systems scrambled and false targets filling their radars,
02:29Maduro's military could not properly respond to the U.S. raid,
02:33which deployed bombers, fighters, and drones to capture the Venezuelan dictator.
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